Rachael Kross, known as Nares, is a Canadian singer, songwriter, and producer from Niagara, Ontario. Her music incorporates experimental elements of various styles, including hyperpop, dream pop, electronic, country, R&B, and hardcore. Growing up in a small town – with no plans of leaving – her music comes from a place of vulnerability with an isolated state of mind, romanticizing certain street corners, reminiscing about fleeting melancholic romance, and having to live with ghosts of the past.

In the midst of trying to figure out your own life, you can lose track of space and time.

 It feels like you’re just floating through it all until reality hits you, time catches up, and you realize you didn’t know what you had, until it was gone. “Boulevards” captures the nostalgic feeling of sitting down with yourself after years of searching for something you once had right in front of you the whole time.

What’s your story as an artist? 

Music has always been such a huge part of my life, and I knew I wanted to be a singer for as long as I can remember. I have fond memories of going over to my Grandparents’ home when I was just a kid of sneaking off during family gatherings and teaching myself how to play songs on my Grandpa’s Yamaha PSR-130 Synthesizer. 

I was a total nerd in high school, and looking back it may have had a bit to do with me playing the tenor saxophone my school’s “band”. I went to a really strict Catholic high school though… which I hated. We had to wear uniforms, go to the church next door for holiday masses, and have one class every day for all four years about Religion. I once got suspended for dyeing my hair green. I was also bullied quite frequently, so I had a lot of angst building up back then, but if it wasn’t for things being that rough, it wouldn’t have led me to find refuge in my creative writing class. I found out that I love being able to express myself through poetry. I could be whoever I wanted, and say whatever I wanted to say, and it felt good. 

I put out a few songs (now deleted) as Nares on Soundcloud in 2013. I wasn’t very technically inclined back then, but I would make beats on Garage Band and sing in one take into my iPhone microphone and place it onto the song. For a long time I had a killer case of impostor syndrome, and I didn’t really understand how to break through in the music industry. I never stopped writing poetry or making music though.

After running rampant with no direction I ended up going to university and graduating with a major in philosophy. My confidence within myself started to build again slowly, and music finally didn’t seem out of the question.  

I started a band called Plum in 2017 with my boyfriend Jesse Doreen (Counterparts) and Ryan Juntilla (Black Baron, Ex-Counterparts). People were finally lifting me up rather than kicking me while I was already down, and I finally was able to find my place (and voice) again. We then did a US tour alongside Cherry Pools in 2018, and after that I was addicted – everything made sense again.

Plum was an amazing stepping stone for me, I was able to grow into myself and find my voice/sound because of it. But in the end I wanted to have more control artistically and showcase what I know I can do myself. I’d love to prove everyone wrong. I want to commemorate my past and finally release what I have been working on silently over the years. 

What inspired this last release?

Nostalgia, young love, and regret are huge themes in this song, and I wanted to write this song in a reflective tone. In the midst of trying to figure out your own life, you can lose track of space and time. It feels like you’re just floating through it all until reality hits you, time catches up, and you realize you didn’t know what you had until it was gone. It’s easy to discard people when you’re young and naive looking for a rush, but hard to find people that are genuinely there for you. I wanted to capture the feeling of sitting down with yourself after years of searching for something you once had right in front of you the whole time.

“Do you remember those times when we’d drive down that one highway? Days faded away. 

We’d lay on the street at night

screaming, ‘Fuck the cars let them drive over us.’”

Everyone has had that one highway they

drove down with someone they used to love, hand in hand, feeling like they

could go anywhere and do anything with them. After the years go by,

things start to get blurry and these memories start to fade away, until they

turn into fragments of time that haunt us.

I wanted to idealize a place you aren’t welcome anymore, but also to romanticize the experience of being young, reckless, and being unworried about what the future would hold – so much so that cars could drive over you and you wouldn’t care.

Do you get inspired by other art forms?

My mom signed me up for ballet when I was like 4 years old and I performed/competed until I was 18. Ballet helped me learn about timing, rhythm, and composition… even how to be up on a stage. I took a lot of things with me from my dance background, however it isn’t what drives my inspiration now. 

I’ve always looked for inspiration from certain female pop/rock/country singer/songwriters. I mostly just feel inspired when I hear music or an instrumental I like because it immediately evokes feelings and new ways to look at things. Sometimes I’ll even look to movies or TV shows for certain details. I like to keep people on their toes, wondering what’s the truth and what’s fabricated.

Any funny anecdotes from the time you were recording or writing this?

I recorded this song with my boyfriend Jesse in his small bedroom studio. We handmade sound panels and hung blankets from the ceiling all around me. They fell down sometimes, and I had to crawl in and out of our homemade booth, but it was fun. We always try to make do with what we have, even if it isn’t a lot, and I think that it brings a sense of authenticity to this project. 

What’s your favorite place or environment to write?

At home alone is always the best, but I try to write anywhere I can. Lyrics, instrumentals, or even whole songs pop into my head daily, but I’m not always in a spot where I can take note of them. I actually bring my phone into the shower with me now because I feel like I’m able to really zone out and write songs/patterns in my head. 

Sometimes during the colder months I bundle up and bring out all my gear into my garage by a space heater and write on a huge freezer at night, and will literally be out there for hours because I can be as loud as I want. It’s funny but it changes things up from just sitting at my desk all the time, and makes me feel like I’m in my own little world.

What’s a record that shaped your creativity?

Listening to Let Go by Avril Lavigne is literally what made me want to become a singer. 

Who is an artist or band you look up to today?

I’m split right down the middle with Lana Del Rey and Taylor Swift. Huge productions are great, but they still manage to write their own music. 

What excites you the most about what you do?

I love being able to express myself through my music. It’s my favourite thing to do. I’m able to feel a sense of closure after writing songs because when I’m in the middle of writing, all of my emotion shifts to the energy of the song. It’s also crazy when people relate to things that usually once made me feel so alone. And when people tell me they feel less alone it makes me feel seen and less alone too.

What is your view on genres and music styles since you mix a lot of them in your music?

I try to combine my favourite genres into one sound, and by taking elements from each I feel like I can make a sound that feels authentic to me. Boulevards has a heavy hardcore riff made with a synth, with r&b hi-hats, and country inspired vocal hooks. I love to experiment with sound and tone. 

What does music mean to you?

It’s everything really.

How would you describe your act in one word?

N/A(res) x